Star collapse recorded at edge of known universe

TELESCOPES have recorded the most distant cosmic explosion ever seen, probably caused by the collapse of a massive dying star, according to University of Hawaii astronomers.

Astronomers from Japan and Hawaii used the telescopes to measure a dying star some 12.8 billion light years away, at the edge of the known universe.

The burst released about as much energy as the sun will emit during its 10 billion year lifespan, according to Lennox Cowie, an astronomer with the university’s Institute of Astronomy.